Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 189 What good are a thousand years of history for people today?

During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, the censor Cui Wan impeached Chancellor Zong Chuke and others for accepting bribes, which led to border troubles.

Although the evidence was conclusive, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang dared not investigate the matter further because Zong Chuke had sided with Empress Wei and Princess Anle. Instead, he invited the two men to drink together and made them sworn brothers to settle the matter, thus leaving behind a laughing stock for all time.

However, this incident of the censor impeaching the prime minister added a new rule to the Tang Dynasty's officialdom: from then on, whenever a censor wanted to impeach a minister, he had to first report to the prime minister and obtain the prime minister's permission before he could formally carry out the impeachment.

This regulation was known as the "presentation of petitions." Regarding impeachment of high-ranking officials, the censor no longer possessed independent impeachment and oversight power; the prime minister's consent and support were required for any action to be taken.

Li Yuanhong said he had not received any memorial from the Censorate, which meant that the Censorate had not yet prepared to submit an impeachment petition regarding Wang Shouzhen's case.

Therefore, as soon as these words were spoken, the entire court was in an uproar: Usually when the people in the outer court make mistakes, the Censorate is very enthusiastic in impeaching them, but now that the official in the North Gate has made a mistake, you haven't said a word. Isn't this bullying the weak and fearing the strong?
Originally, not everyone was interested in this matter, but when they heard about the glaringly different approach taken by the Censorate, their dissatisfaction was immediately ignited, and they began to voice their condemnation, pointing the finger directly at the Censorate.

Although Zhang Jiuling had been instructed by Zhang Shuo to keep a low profile for the time being, when he saw that the court officials had launched a campaign of denunciation against the Censorate, he naturally had to join in and gradually guide the still somewhat chaotic denunciations toward the Censor-in-Chief Cui Yinfu.

If we were to name the person in the court who is most hostile to Zhang Yue's faction right now, it would undoubtedly be Cui Yinfu.

Yuwen Rong is still serving as a disaster relief ambassador, inspecting disaster areas in Henan and Hebei, and is not in court. The main conflict between Prime Minister Li Yuanhong and Zhang Yue is the transition between the old and new government. As Zhang Yue has gained a foothold in the Central Secretariat, he will naturally stop pressing the issue.

However, Cui Yinfu was the only one whose most important task after taking office as Imperial Censor was to impeach and bring down Zhang Shuo, so he was also most worried about Zhang Shuo being reinstated.

Once Zhang Yue re-emerged, he became the most dangerous person, so officials targeting Zhang Yue's faction were constantly impeached and purged. Almost all those in key positions were demoted, and most of those who remained in the court were relegated to idle positions.

Just as everyone was still vehemently denouncing the Censorate, something even more explosive happened: Censor Cui Yinfu, who had not attended the meeting before, actually came to the court.

Not only did Cui Yinfu arrive, but he also escalated the already heated atmosphere in the court with just one sentence: "When will the Censor be required to explain his actions to you?"

He had an arrogant look on his face and his tone was full of disdain. Normally, even if people were dissatisfied, they would mostly choose to endure it. After all, he held the power to impeach officials and investigate illegal activities. Even Zhang Shuo was no match for him, so who else would dare to oppose him?

But the crowd was already indignant, and Cui Yinfu's arrival and his subsequent remarks were unbearable even for the most good-tempered.

Lu Congyuan, the Minister of Justice, who should not have been implicated according to procedure, was especially furious. He stepped forward and pointed at Cui Yinfu, angrily saying, "The Censor's actions do not require explanation to the officials, but they must be explained to His Majesty and to justice! The official at the North Gate has broken the law, and the whole city knows it. The Grand Master intimidated the Censor's gossips but did not report it. To whom can he explain himself?"

These two men actually had no animosity or political differences; in fact, they were once quite compatible colleagues. When Zhang Yue dominated the court, Lu Congyuan was sent to Luoyang to serve as the governor of the Eastern Capital, while Cui Yinfu was the governor of Henan. They could be considered to have a superior-subordinate relationship.

Afterwards, Cui Yinfu entered the court as Imperial Censor. Although his rank was still slightly lower, his power was undoubtedly far greater than that of Lu Congyuan, who had previously served as Minister of Works. In particular, when the Imperial Censor Yuwen Rong accused him of being a troublemaker, Cui Yinfu did not stop him, which made Lu Congyuan secretly resentful.

Cui Yinfu was not a good-natured person who would swallow his pride, and upon hearing Lu Congyuan's accusation, he immediately glared and retorted: "It has not been a day since the incident occurred, how does Minister Lu know that I did not report it? That is why he ordered his subordinates to report it first and then submit a memorial, precisely to curb the trend of censors stirring up trouble."

"Without such regulations, would Minister Lu still be able to speak with me at this moment? Are there no censors here? Minister Lu has acted improperly in court; have you all witnessed this? Why don't you ministers immediately report this to the emperor!"

During the Wu Zhou period, cruel officials were frequently employed, and informing was rampant. This led many officials in the Censorate to use this as a means to attack ministers and instigate political struggles. Therefore, it was a consensus among court officials to restrict the censors' power of impeachment, and the previous regulations on submitting memorials were partly due to this reason.

Cui Yinfu went a step further, ordering the censors of the Censorate to report and apply to him before submitting any impeachments. His aim was to consolidate the Censorate and concentrate its power in his own hands.

This was also the inspiration he received after impeaching Zhang Shuo. As long as the Censorate was integrated and controlled, it could exert amazing power and effectively supervise all court officials, including the prime minister.

His autocratic behavior just happened to suit the emperor's personnel management philosophy, just like Zhang Yue's reorganization of the Secretariat and his consolidation of power in the court.

For a sage, it is not necessary to be fully aware of all the personnel and procedures of the various departments in the outer court. It is enough to determine whether the officials in charge are qualified and worth continuing to employ.

However, it is clear that Cui Yinfu's attempt to outsmart the enemy backfired in this matter.

Cui Yinfu was still emphasizing that his supervision of the Censorate was very effective and that he would no longer attack any minister at will, but Zhang Jiuling said, "Your words are wrong, sir. Although deer tendons are tough, they cannot be used to tie up whales. How can a weight of a thousand pounds be suspended by a hair?"
The Imperial Censor is the eyes and ears of the monarch, responsible for enforcing the law and speaking out when matters arise. Therefore, a position was established for him. The Grand Master is the head of the Imperial Censors, whose eyes and ears are always clear and whose voice is always loud. Therefore, a position was set up for him.

Whether Heaven sees and hears, whether it is bright or dim, is not determined by high officials. If matters cannot be discussed and corrected in a timely manner, what use is the Censorate? If matters are recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals, even if a thousand years have passed and the judgment is finalized, what benefit will it bring to people today? This was not merely due to differing political stances; Zhang Jiuling himself deeply resented the ministers' control over the flow of information and the restrictions placed on censors. Hearing Cui Yinfu speak so eloquently despite his obvious wrongdoing, he could no longer restrain himself and directly voiced his accusations.

"Zhang Shaoqing, don't speak of a thousand years. I have arrived now, so what does it matter!"

When Cui Yinfu heard Zhang Jiuling join the argument, he immediately retorted in a deep voice.

Although Zhang Jiuling appeared unhurried, his words were sharp. Upon hearing this, he immediately retorted, "Now that the doctor has arrived, where was he before? Is the doctor waiting for the matter, or is the matter waiting for the doctor?"

In the hall, Prime Minister Du Xian watched as Zhang Jiuling questioned Cui Yinfu until he was speechless and dumbfounded, and he felt quite appreciative.

Having been away from the court for a long time and having no personal grudges involved, he now urgently needs to build his own ruling team upon entering the court. Knowing that he will not have much time to cultivate talent from scratch, he also pays attention to recruiting outstanding talents currently in the court.

Zhang Jiuling was undoubtedly an excellent candidate, possessing remarkable demeanor, talent, and moral integrity. His only drawback was his close relationship with Zhang Shuo. However, Du Xian had no fundamental conflict with Zhang Shuo, so he was not concerned about this and was eager to recruit Zhang Jiuling.

But Li Yuanhong, who was standing to the side, had a different feeling when he saw this scene.

With Zhang Shuo not present, Zhang Jiuling's central position in this small group is even more prominent. Those officials who are close to Zhang Shuo mostly act according to his wishes, which also shows that Zhang Jiuling has already been able to play the role of personnel hub in place of Zhang Shuo.

As the person who directly replaced Zhang Shuo in power, Li Yuanhong was naturally not happy to see such a minor figure as Zhang Shuo active in the court and politics.

Regardless of what the two prime ministers were thinking, the brief meeting in the court continued in this noisy atmosphere until noon.

It wasn't until an official from the Secretariat rushed into the hall and reported to the Prime Minister that the Duke of Bohai, Gao Lishi, was waiting outside the office to convey the Emperor's will that the two were startled. They immediately ordered the meeting to be stopped and instructed all officials to return to their respective departments to handle their affairs. Then the two went straight to the Secretariat.

When the officials left the court, they inevitably saw Zhang Yue and his grandson on the main street. Zhang Yue was one thing, as many officials knew that he had been summoned to the palace before the morning court session began. However, Zhang Dai's presence there was quite unexpected.

"Zhang's son should not be detained in Henan Prefecture, so why is he here?"

Cui Yinfu was somewhat agitated. He quickly stepped forward and asked the two men in a stern voice, "Is it appropriate for Lord Yan to so openly interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Justice?"

"Why doesn't Doctor Cui suspect that it was Huo Gongqiang who abused his power and interfered in criminal matters, which is why I was forced to be detained here and make my own defense? If the Censorate could just do its job and impeach the illegal, why should innocent people be questioned?"

Zhang Dai answered Cui Yinfu, while sighing inwardly.

Cui Yinfu's reputation as an official was not bad, but his obsession was too strong, and he lost his objectivity.

Take, for example, Li Linfu’s power grab in the Censorate. In the late Kaiyuan period, he went a step further and established the Censor-in-Chief system, which required censors to report to their superiors before making any impeachments. This turned the Censorate during the prosperous Tang Dynasty into a tool for him to eliminate dissidents.

Although this process represents a trend change, someone always needs to make a few key mistakes at crucial junctures for the situation to continue its smooth collapse.

"I will investigate the matter myself to find out the truth!"

Cui Yinfu had already suffered much criticism in the court, and hearing Zhang Dai's sarcastic remarks only made him more unhappy, so he immediately stormed off.

Seeing this, Zhang Dai winked at his grandfather and gestured with his lip in the direction Cui Yinfu had left: "Familiar? Doesn't it look like you were when you were about to face disaster last year? You were already abandoned by everyone, and you were still acting tough!"

Last year, Cui Yinfu took advantage of Zhang Shuo's unfair treatment during the Fengshan ceremony, which offended many people, to bring him down in one fell swoop. Now, less than a year later, he himself has fallen into a situation where he is besieged on all sides.

Is it really that difficult to send out a message?
As a result, neither the prime ministers nor his subordinates informed him, making him, a mere censor, react so slowly. He was still talking about investigating the facts, clearly still unable to see the situation clearly, or unwilling to accept the truth, just like Zhang Shuo who was so smug last year.

(End of this chapter)